Shloka 34
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
शराहता भिन्नदेहा बद्धयोक्त्रा हयोत्तमा: | युगानि पर्यकर्षन्त तत्र तत्र सम भारत
śarāhatā bhinnadehā baddhayoktrā hayottamāḥ | yugāni paryakarṣanta tatra tatra sma bhārata ||
Sañjaya berkata: Walaupun ditembusi anak panah hingga tubuh mereka koyak-rabak, kuda-kuda terbaik—yang masih terikat pada tali kuk—terus menyeret kuk ke sana sini di medan perang, digerakkan oleh kesakitan dan momentum perang yang tidak mengenal belas. Pemandangan itu menyingkap mekanik tempur yang kejam: bahkan makhluk mulia, terikat oleh abah dan tugas, dipaksa bergerak meski cedera parah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of war: suffering extends beyond warriors to animals and all who are bound into the machinery of battle. It implicitly invites reflection on compassion and the moral cost of violence, even when war is pursued under claims of duty.
Sañjaya describes wounded chariot-horses on the battlefield. Even with bodies pierced and torn by arrows, they remain harnessed to the chariot by yoke-straps and therefore keep pulling the yokes in different directions, likely in confusion and pain amid the chaos.